"Sire," he said, "will your majesty permit me to say a word ?" "Do so," said the king, delighted, perhaps, at the bottom of his heart, for some one to step between him and the wrath he felt he had carried him too far.
"Manicamp, you are a brave man, and the king will appreciate your conduct; but to wish to serve your friends too well, is to destroy them.
Manicamp, you know the name the king asks you for ?" "It is perfectly true--I do know it." "You will give it up then ?" "If I felt I ought to have mentioned it, I should have already done so." "Then I will tell it, for I am not so extremely sensitive on such points of honor as you are." "You are at liberty to do so, but it seems to me, however--" "Oh! a truce to magnanimity; I will not permit you to go to the Bastile in that way.

Do you speak; or I will." Manicamp was keen-witted enough, and perfectly understood that he had done quite sufficient to produce a good opinion of his conduct; it was now only a question of persevering in such a manner as to regain the good graces of the king.

"Speak, monsieur," he said to Saint-Aignan; "I have on my own behalf done all that my conscience told me to do; and it must have been very importunate," he added, turning towards the king, "since its mandates led me to disobey your majesty's commands; but your majesty will forgive me, I hope, when you learn that I was anxious to preserve the honor of a lady." "Of a lady ?" said the king, with some uneasiness.
"Yes, sire." "A lady was the cause of this duel ?" Manicamp bowed.
"If the position of the lady in question warrants it," he said, "I shall not complain of your having acted with so much circumspection; on the contrary, indeed." "Sire, everything which concerns your majesty's household, or the household of your majesty's brother, is of importance in my eyes." "In my brother's household," repeated Louis XIV., with a slight hesitation.

"The cause of the duel was a lady belonging to my brother's household, do you say ?" "Or to Madame's." "Ah! to Madame's ?" "Yes, sire." "Well--and this lady ?" "Is one of the maids of honor of her royal highness Madame la Duchesse d'Orleans." "For whom M.de Guiche fought--do you say ?" "Yes, sire, and, this time, I tell no falsehood." Louis seemed restless and anxious.

"Gentlemen," he said, turning towards the spectators of this scene, "will you have the goodness to retire for a moment.